Flying-machine.



T. L. SGHAV'UFLER. FLYING MAGINB.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 2, 1911.

Patented Sept. 3, 1912.

WTNESSES wwf Ammers,

P. L. SGHAUFLER..

FLYING MACHINE.

ArPLIoATIoN'rILBn rma. z, 191;.

1,037,800. Patented Sept. 3,1912.-

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l BY v ,mo/mgm yP. L. SGHAUPLBR.

FLYING MACHINE. Prmouroir Hum rms. 2, 1911.

Patented sept. 3,1912.

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HMHUH l nvmrrol? [715ML Wwf/aff' WITNESSES #QM A TTUHNEYS F. L. SCHAUFLER.

FLYING MACHINE. Arruoulo'u FILED 1111.2, 1911.

Patented sp1.3,1912.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 5.

s, WITNESSES J MMM UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEIoE.

JFRIED LOUIS SCHA'UFLE, OF MATTOON, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR'TO NATIONAL AERIAL ANAVIGATION &'EQ"UIPMENT CO., OF CULIIIAN, A CORPORATION.

FLYING-HACHINE.

Speelt-cation of Letters Patent.

vApplication illed February 2, 1911. 'Serial No. 606,114.

Patented Sept. 3, 1912 To all whomit mayv conm:

Be it known that I, FRED L. SCHAUFLER, a citizen of t-he United States, and a resident of Mattoon,in the county of Coles and State of Illinois, have invented a :new and Improved Flying-Machine, of which the following isa full, clear, .and exact description.l

. as to offer. a more stable andlbetter 'supported machine.

Another objectofthis inventionis .to provide a iying machine with a balancing member having one or more planes whereby the supporting surface of the ,flying machine, as a whole, Inav be controlled, with an eleyvatingv plane for controlling the `vertical movement of tlie'lyin machme.

A further object o this invention is `to provide aying machine'with an automatic shock-absorber for minimizin the jar due yto alighting from a flight in tie air. Y

A further object of this 'invention is to provide an anchor, whereby the flying machine may be held from movement, even after the propellers are started, which can be released so as to suddenly launch the flying machine in flight.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a iiying machine with a cabin, having means for controlllng the various steering, balancing and equilibrium planes and the engine, from the cabin, so that the operator can manipulate the same 1n any position invwhich he may happen to be.

These and further objects, together with thel construction and combination, of parts, will be more fully described hereinafter. and particularly set fort-h in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a partof this specification, in which similar characters of refere-nce indicate corresponding parts in all the views, and in which- Figure 1 is a vertical` longitudinal section; Fig. 2 is a vertical `transverse section on the line 2--2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a vert-ical transverse section on the line 8-3 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a top plan' adjusted position; Fig. 7 is an enlarged section showing the action 'of one of the shock-l absorbers; Fig. 6 is an enlarged v1ew,show

ing the means for adjusting the various movable planes and locking them in their adjust-ed position; Fi 7 is an enlarged sec-- tion showing a detail of the lock for the mechanism shown in Fig. 6; Fig. 8 is a fragmentary lview showing the means for 'i controlling the sparker of the engi11e;.1|`ig. 9.1sa fragmentary section on the line 9 9 o f Fig. 8.; F ig. 10 is a fragmentary detail view ofp't-he special type of propeller; and l'lisa detail view of the anchor. eferring more particularly to the sep,-

arate parts of t-hisinvention as embodied 1n the form shown in the drawings, 1 indicates av-suitable. framework, which may be of anv sultable light, strong structure and material,

, and may besupported so as to travel on the ground, bysuitable wheels 2. l

'In order 'that theflying machine may not be unduly; jarred in alighting from a Hight, and further, vfor the purpose of adding' to the safety in alighting, the connection between the wheels 2 and the `frame I'is preferably of a resilient andautolnatic character, .so as to absorb the shock. For -this purpose,.each wheel may be pivotally` connected to the frame by means ofv a pair of arms 3 and 4, which are hinged to the frame 1 in an suitable manner. The arms 4 preferab y consist of'telescoping members 5 and 6, the former sliding wit-hin the latter and bein resiliently held from movement relative tereto in any suitable manner, as by'means of a sprin 8 located within the member 6. The mem er -preferably forms a piston-tight joint with the member 6, so as to prevent the air from passing between them. This feature is taken advantage of to prevent the sudden rebound of the memberf5 relative to the member, due to the sudden compression of the spring 8, by permitting air to enter into the chamber above the `piston member 5 through a comparatively small passage 9, and permitting it to exitfrom the chamber in the member 6 through a comparatively large passage 10,

,which' is normally closed by a springpressed valve 11, so as to automatically close .under all conditions except when the air is compressed within the chamber formed in the member 6. It will thus. be seen that the shock due to alighting is absorbed almost entirely by the spring 8, and the valve 11 yielding suiciently' to allow air inthe chamber occupied by the spring to loo pass 'out througlrthe comparatively large passage 10. However, as soon as the member 5 starts to shoot out under the action of the spring 8, the valve 11 closes the passage 10, and air can only enter the chamber above the piston member 5, through the small passage 9, scf-that the outward movement of the member 5 will be comparatively slow, thus preventing any dangerous rebound after alighting.

The frame 1 may be provided with a plurality of main planes 12, 13 and 14, which are superposed relative to each other, the upper planes being offset forwardly relative to the lower planes, whereby the stability and supporting surface of the ying machine is increased.

A cabin 15 may be provided intermediate any two of the supporting planes, preferably between the two lower planes, and this cabin itself may have an inclined front 16, so as to aid in the supporting of the flying machine in air. The front 16 may also b'e provided with a transparent member 17, whereby the operator within the cabin can see the direction in which he is going, and yet be protected from the cold winds.

F or the purpose of balancing the flying machine in the fore and aft directions, and to a certain extent control its edective horizontally-projecting area, there is provided a balancer 18, which is provided with a plurality of planes 19, pivotally secured in parallel spaced relation to a frame 20, which comprises rods pivotally secured to a rearwardly-extending portion of the main frame 1. This balancer may be operated so as to vary the lrelative superposed relation of the planes 19, by means of a pitman 21 (see Figs. 1 and 4), which extends to a rod 22 extending through the cabin 15, so that the operator can have access thereto, no matter in what portion of the cabin he may be located. It will be seen that this varies the location of the supporting area at the rear, and effects thereby the balancing of the machine. Thus the operator, by manipulating the balancer, may compensate for his movements in the cabin, and may maintain the machine in proper position in accordance with both his position in the cabin and the presence or absence of forceful air currents and, in fact, any other conditions tending to destroy equilibrium, either by an increase or decrease in the resistance offered the supporting planes and cabin or otherwise.

For the purpose of controlling the up-anddown directional movement of the flying machine, there is provided an elevator 23, .which may be of any suitable form, but preferably consists of a plane pivotally supported on the frame 1, preferably adjacent the rear thereof, and capable of. swinging about its transverse horizont-al axis, so as t0 offer either a downwardly-inclined or an upwardly-inclined surface to the air through which the flying machine is rushing. 'For the purpose of controlling this plane, there are provided arms 24, extending to opposite sides thereof, which may be braced in any suitable manner to the plane, and are connected to a lever 25 by any suitable means, such as flexible connections V26, on opposite sides of t-he pivot thereof. The lever 25 is connected to a collar in any suitable manner, as by means of a link 28 on an operating rod 27, extending through the cabin so as to be accessible to the operator at any point in the cabin.

In order to control the transverse equilibrium of the flying machine, and to aid in steering to the right or left, there are provided two sets of equilibrium planes 29 and 30, comprising vertically-spaced planes pivotally connected to the frame 1, so as to tilt about a horizontal axis, and suitably braced on the frame. These planes are preferably connected inlsuperposed pairs, so as to move simultaneously in the same direction, by means of suitable connections, such as the exible connections 31. Inasmuch as the planes 12 to 14 are offset with respect to each other, it is considered advisable to have the equilibrium planes in each set olfset relative to each other also. Each set of equilibrium planes may be controlled by means of a double bell crank lever 32, two arms of which are connected to opposite sides of the pivot of one of the equilibrium planes, vby any suitable means, such as flexible connections 33, and the other arm of which is connected in any suitable manner to a collar on a rod 34, also extending through the cabin. Of course, there is one of these rods for each set of equilibrium planes, that is to say, there are two rods extending through the cabin in such a posit-ion that they will be accessible in any part thereof.

The flying machine may be driven in any suitable manner, as by means of propellers 35 and 36, the former of which, 35, is shown as located at the extreme front of the flying machine, and the latter, 36, are located adjacent the rear of the cabin of the flying machine. These propellers may be of the peculiar structure shown in Fig. 10, where itwill be seen that one half of each blade of the propeller has a suitable pitch, and the other half has preferably no pitch, but rotates in substantially the same plane, so as to create no propelling force, but generates a gyratory equilibrating force, tending to steady the flying machine. These propellers may be driven by the same or individual motors 37 of any suitable character, such as gasolene engines. In order to control these engines, there is provided a rod 38, which extends through the cabin, and is connected to the sparker of the engine. by a particular arrangement, more clearly shown in Figs. 8 and 9.

The rod 38 is rotatably supported in suitable bearings, and is provided with a gear and warm u 39, which is adapted to mesh with agear 40 on a stub shaft 41. The gear 40 has secured connected to the thereto a pitman 42,

' any suitable mani -the rod 38 in either direction, but will hold the same against accidental rotation. lBesides the rods previously mentioned, in the cabin, there is also a rod 45, which is adapt-4 ed to control the supply of explosive mixture to the engine, and may be connected thereto in any suitable manner. The rods for controlling the various movable planes, which have been designated by the numerals 22, 27 and 34, are slidingly mounted in the cabinl in any suitable manner, so as to move in the direction of their length. A particular means is used so that these rods can be locked in any position of adjustment, and can be operated from any point in the cabin, or even if desired, outside of the cabin. This particular arrangement will be seen by reference `to Figs. 6 and 7, where one ofthe rods, such as the rod 22, is shown. Here, it will be seen that the rod is rotatably and slidingly mounted in suitable bearings 46, and is provided with a collar 47, loosely mounted there-on, but prevented from lengthwise movement relative to the rod by means of fixed collars 48. In each instance, this loose collar 47 is used to operate the particular connection to the particular planej or planes which the rod controls. The rod is provided with a roove 49, extendingl longitudinally thereo with recesses 50 communicating with the groove and forming therebetween a series of teeth 51. These recesses are adapted to be engaged by a lock 52, more clearly shown in 7, which is provided with a rigid tooth 53 and a spring tooth 54. Under normal conditions, the spring tooth 54 is adapted to force the rigid tooth 53 into one of the recesses 50, between juxtaposed teeth 5l, so that the rod is locked against endwise movement. It will be see-n, however, that by rotating the rod in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 7, the spring tooth 54 will be compressed, permitting the rod to rotate to such a. position that the rigid tooth 53 will be in the slot 59, so that the rod can be moved lengthwise to adjust the planes to any desired position. As soon as the rod is released, however, the

by rotating the rod to start the Hight. aallyinecessary to have a number of men to hold the iying machine.

released at the desired moment. 1 chor is more clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 11. It will be seen that there is provided an extension support 55, on which is pivotally sei cured intermediate its ends a iuke 56, which is adapted to be locked in its anchoring l sition by links 58 and 5 9, which vented from further4 by means of a lug 60, so that the iuke will lsecurely .toggle links are sprung to the opposite direction, as sho-wn in Fig. 1.

4which is secured a connection 61,

spring tooth 54 will rotate the rod, so as to force t-he rigid tooth 53 yinto one of the recesses 50, thus locking the rod in its adjusted posltion.

It is often desirable to start the propellers the engine before it is desired In such an event, it is usu- In this invention, an anchor has been devised which will securely hold the/dying machine during such preliminary operations, without danger of its running away, and which can be readily This an- P0" means of a toggle 57, vcomprising are adapted to pass slightly beyond their dead center when the fluke is in its anchoring position, and premotion in this position anchor the flying machine until the One of the links 58 is lprovided with an extension, to extending into the cabin, whereby the toggle joint can be pulled to t-he position illustrated in Fig. l, when the iuke will be released from its Eanchoring position, permitting the flying machine to travel under the force of its propelling mechanis It will thus be seen that there is provided a simple and efficient flying machine, which can be securely anchored until it is desired to Hy, and when once in flight, can be readily controlled by the operator, no matter what his position in the iying machine. The controlling planes can be locked in any adjusted position, automatically, as above described. The peculiar arrangement ofthe supporting planes will render the eti'ective support-ing area. of the flying machine greater, and aid in the stability of the same. In alighting, the peculiar shock-absorbing connection of the wheels to the flying machine'will prevent any damage, and lessen the jar, to an appreciable extent.

While I have shown one embodiment of my invention, I do not wish to be limited to the specific details thereof, but desire to be protected in various changes, alterations and modiications which may come within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent l. In a flying machine, the combination with a frame, of one or more supporting planes on said frame, a movable plane on said frame,l a rod operatively connected to said movable plane, said rod having a considerable length, Whereb it can be operated from a plurality of points, and automatic locking means for automatically securing said rod and said movable plane in any .adjusted position.

2. In a flying machine, with a frame, of one or more supporting planes on said frame, a movable plane on said frame, a rotatable and slidingly-mounted rod operatively connected to said movable plane so as to operate the same, said rod having a considerable length, whereby it may be operated from a plurality of points, and an automatic lock adapted to be operated by the rotation of said rod, and adapted to automatically lock said rod in any position of adjustment.

3. In a flying machine, the combination with a frame, of one or more supporting planes on said frame, a movable plane on said frame, a rotatable and slidingly-mounted rod operatively connected to said movable plane so as to operate the same, said rod having a considerable length, whereby it may be operated from a pluralityof points, said rod having a groove extending longitudinally thereof, with recesses extending into said groove to form teeth therebetween, and a pawl adapted to automatically engage said recesses to lock said rod in any po-sition of adjustment, and adapted to be moved out of said recesses by the rotation of said rod.

the combin ation A 4. In a flying machine, the combination with a frame, of one or more supporting planes on said frame, a balancer mounted adjacent the .rear of said frame and comprising a plurality of parallel planes connected to arms in parallel spaced relation, said arms being pivotally connected with said frame, an elevator, comprising a plane pivotally connected to said frame, equilibrium planes mounted on said frame and adapted to control the transverse equilibrium of said flying machine, a cabin mounted on said frame, and means for controlling said equilibrium planes, said balancer and said elevator from any point in said cabin.

5. In a flying machine, the combination with a fra-me, of one or more supporting l planes on said frame, a pair of equilibrium planes pivotally mounted on each side of said frame, said equilibrium planes being operatively connected in pairs so as to act in unison, the uppermost of said equilibrium planes being longitudinally offset relative to the lowermost, and means for operating said equilibrium planes.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

FRED LOUIS SCHAUFLER.

Witnesses:

JACOB STUMP, Jr., NAOMI V. BAILEY. 

